Mark of the Rose
by Dawn Stalker
Summary: The story of Rose Weasley in her sixth year, and how she goes terribly wrong. Rated T for later chapters. RoseScorpius and RoseOC.
1. Chapter 1

**Mark of the Rose**

Ron and Hermione Weasley were both 26 years old when they had Rose Hermione Weasley. The date was June 24, 2006. She was their first born, a beautiful baby girl, and she very nearly didn't live to see daylight. Rose left her mother with the umbilical cord tangled around her neck, suffocating her. Ron and Ginny had been there for the birth (Harry waiting outside), had held Hermione's hand as the grave-faced Healers of St. Mungo's performed complicated spells in an attempt to save little Rose's life, had cried with relief as a beaming Healer presented a healthy and crying child to a trembling Hermione. The new mother had cradled her darling Rose in her arms, kissed her forehead, felt her heartbeat. Ron, pale and shaking, had kneeled down beside his wife and gazed awe-struck at his daughter.

"Blimey. . ." He breathed, wide-eyed, starring down at the screaming baby. Hermione mopped her streaming eyes on the sleeve of her white hospital gown, radiating happiness and smiling broadly at her red-haired husband. A tentative, disbelieving grin had crept upon his face. "She's got your nose," he whispered, "and I think I see a few red hairs."

"Oh, Hermione, she's beautiful!" Ginny had exclaimed before rushing out to fetch Harry.

"Our baby, Ron, our baby girl." The mother said, her eyes still glistening with tears. Ron leaned in to kiss his wife and child, feeling his own eyes moistening. He took his daughter into his arms and murmured to her,

"You're a fighter, aren't you? Fighting to keep hold of your life, Rosie. And we almost lost you." And then Harry, Ginny, George, Bill, and Ron's Mum and Dad all rushed in, shouting and excited, and sending the Healer into a near panic attack. Mrs. Weasley had gotten to Rose first, and holding her tenderly had sobbed,

"Oh, Ronald's first! A girl! My eighth grandchild!" And Mr. Weasley had put an arm around his wife and smiled down at Rose. Bill had clapped Ron on the back warmly and said,

"Feels good, being a father." And grinned knowingly. George had ruffeled his younger brother's hair and joked,

"Well then, let's hope she looks more like her mum than her dad!" Ginny had made her way over to Hermione and had begun to talk in earnest about her own experience with child birth, while Hermione lay there and beamed, exhausted but happy, allowing the Healer to clean her up with a swish of her wand. And Harry. Harry had stayed in the doorway, a smile spread wide from ear to ear. Ron managed to stumble free of his family and grinned, dazed, at Harry in return.

"Congratulations mate." The dark-haired man had said in a strained voice, and then gave his best friend a hug that said what words could not. After their wedding, that day may have been the happiest in Ronald and Hermione Weasley's life.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Rose truly was an answer to prayer. The young couple, her parents, had gotten married two years previous to her birth. For a year and three months they had been trying for a baby, and finally the pregnancy tests had given positive results. No sooner had they learned Hermione was pregnant when Harry had burst in, jubilant, exclaiming how Ginny was now expecting her second child and already four weeks in.

The first few weeks were full of excitement and awe, but after that the scares began. The first one was when Hermione started bleeding. Terrified that they might lose what they had worked so hard to create, the couple had rushed to St. Mungo's; hoping against hope there might be some way to save their child, to prevent a miscarriage. Rose survived this however, much to their relief. Then, about five months into the pregnancy, Hermione fell. It was dusk, and she was descending down the back deck steps. Normally it would have just been a handful of bumps and bruises, but she came down pretty hard on her stomach . . . and then at eight months she and Ron had been attacked by reformed Death Eaters. A strange, unknown curse had hit her somewhere around the stomach, and for the third time (after narrowly escaping the Death Eaters) they apparated in St. Mungo's. The Healers could detect nothing unordinary---the child's heart was still beating, and no strange growths or reductions were found. Finally, after doing a few minor counter-jinxes, they sent the couple home, and the next time Ron and Hermione went to St. Mungo's was for Rose's birth.

She was healthy and average for a baby, so the couple dismissed the curse from their minds, figuring it to be faulty or short-lived. Ron and Hermione had decided that once they became parents, they would move into a "cozier", more child-friendly house, far away from the watchful and pressuring eyes of the public. And so the small family of Weasleys left the hospital to head for their new home. They were both becoming very successful in their jobs, and they had been given a great deal of money from the ministry for majorly assisting in the defeat of Lord Voldemort; therefore they bought a huge house. The house was six stories high, with an accessible roof and a balcony protruding from a bedroom on the sixth story. It had an open porch, with white railings and red wood for the flooring, and the walls of the house were made of stone. Inside there was a huge kitchen, a luxurious dining room, a comfy living room, five bathrooms, twelve bedrooms, a parlor, a family room, a study, and a spare room Hermione made into a mini-library. Outside there were several acres surrounding the house, with woods and a lake and fields and a broom shed for quidditch. All around their property were spells to keep unwanted visitors out---only a select few could pass the spell barriers unscathed.

Naturally, Hermione would have been perfectly fine with a small, simple house somewhere in a muggle community---she'd have preferred that, actually. But Ron, he had dreamed of grandeur all his life, and now finally he had his chance, so his dedicated wife allowed him to take it. So this was the house Rose Weasley grew up in. In her early years Ginny would often come over with James and Albus to watch her while her parents were out working. If Ginny had an engagement, then she and her two cousins would be babysat by Fleur along with her own three children, or by Mrs. Tonks with Teddy. She and Albus grew up together, and they might as well have been brother and sister. She and James always got along alright, but they never had the bond she and Albus had.

Rose was a beautiful baby. She didn't get baby acne, her skin didn't blotch up, and her cheeks were always a rosy pink. As she grew older, her red hair became fluffy and wavy, but not bushy like her mother's. One evening when Rose was four, Ron commented on her appearance, saying in a slightly awed voice, "You're beautiful Hermione, but our Rosie, she looks like she's got Veela blood in her! I don't understand it." The girl looked up from her walking, talking doll (bought from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes) and smiled beautifully at her parents. Hermione simply kissed Ron on the cheek and answered with a "We just make beautiful babies."

Her parents loved her as much as any parents could; Ron would spend his evenings teaching his Rosie how to ride a broom, or sometimes supervising as she experimented with his wand. Hermione would read her bed-time stories and teach her all that could fit in her tiny mind. She made sure her daughter was homeschooled until her years at Hogwarts, thinking it only right that she get proper education in the ways of Math, Science, and English. Rose rarely ever left the property, her parents not wanting her to stray from the protection of home. At the age of five the red-head was bold enough to ask for a horse (much to Hermione's distaste), and on her eighth birthday she was granted a beautiful gypsy vanner colt, with a black coat but three white hooves, a white ear, and a white streaked down his face.

Hugo. Three years younger than Rose, he had brown hair, and took his mother's non-athletic genes and his father's poor academic skills. After time though, it was apparent he would become a very powerful wizard, for he had a knack for performing exceedingly difficult spells perfectly at a young age. Rose absolutely loved him. Ever since he was brought home from the hospital she nursed a tender spot for him, and was very protective of him. He grew up to be a quiet, shy boy who loved to draw and read. He hardly became close to anyone, even though his cousin Lily was a very dear friend of his. The only one he would ever truly open up to would be Rose, and the siblings maintained an unusually close bond as they grew older.

So then the years of Hogwarts began. Rose was, of course, top in everything except potions. That class was dominated by Slytherin's Scorpius Malfoy, a boy Rose found to be both annoying and interesting. She and Albus, in Gryffindor, became friends with a boy named Sven Corner, and a brilliantly blonde girl named Daisy Frazer, who was the daughter of their parents' friend (whom we all know to be Luna Lovegood). Throughout the years these four became the best of friends, and did nearly everything together. And it is in Rose's sixth year that we begin.


	2. Chapter 2

She had an innocent face. Roundish, with prominent cheekbones that gave the impression she was smiling. Her nose was dainty, ever-so-slightly pointing upwards, and matched her small ears. Her eyebrows were thin and defined, her lashes long and beautiful. Her eyes were almond-shaped, the irises hazel, though sometimes noticeably brown and other times protruding green (however mostly an earthy mixture). They were big and deep and focused. Her smile was gorgeous---pearly, incredibly white teeth would immerge when her full and perfectly-shaped lips would part and curve upwards. A dimple appeared on her lower cheek each time this happened. Her hair was a vibrant, vivid red. It was thick, healthy, and glossy, the envy of all her dorm mates. It cascaded down her back in graceful, frizz-free, and perfectly shaped curls, reaching almost to her waist. When she wore it straight it _would_ reach her waist. The color was a rich one, a crimson scarlet, striking and eye-attracting.

Her skin was tan and had perfect complexion, no blemishes to be found. It was soft, smooth, and warm. Her arms were thin, her hands small and delicate, and her nails a healthy pink. Her figure was ideal. Her chest filled her shirt well enough, and from her rib-cage down her frame curved inward until the waist---she was so slender, so thin, and yet she managed to pull it off in the most attractive way. At her hips she widened, not from fat but from the maturity of her body. Her legs were long and thin, curving just the way legs should. Her feet were tiny and delicate. She was 5'0, and she was stunning.

Rose plopped down on the seat next Albus, pushing her hair behind one ear with long, slender fingers. She smiled broadly, crossing one leg over the other, and gazed around the compartment. Beside her, after glancing up upon her entrance and giving her a half-smile, Albus had gone back to gloomily gazing out the window. Daisy, right across from her, was buried in the latest edition of The Quibbler (as usual), her platinum-blond hair tied up in pigtails and a colorful assortment of odd-looking jewelry draped around her person. But when she looked at Sven their eyes locked, for he had been looking right back at her. He blinked, as if coming out of a daze, then offered her a wide grin.

"Rose! How are you?" He asked eagerly, positioning himself so that he was directly facing her. He had gotten tan, Rose noticed, and his brown hair seemed a shade lighter than she remembered.

"Great!" She beamed at him. "Summer was wonderful. Me and Al's family went to go visit our Uncle Charlie for a week. Have you ever seen a dragon up close before? It was such an intriguing experience---I made Dad promise to take us again. And you should have seen Lily; she's got a real knack for handling dragons. Seeing those up close really put into perspective that story Mum and Dad would always tell me and Hugo about riding the dragon out of Gringotts---remember that story, Al?" Rose nudged her cousin, but all she got was a few grumbles and a shrug. "What's the matter with you? You're not still upset about your O.W.L. in Potions, are you?"

"_James_ got an O in Potions!_ James_ can become an Auror like Dad! And you know, he's probably not even going to! I'll bet you anything he'll go on to become a professional quidditch player." Albus said resentfully, turning away from the window so he could glare at Rose.

"Oh,_ come on _Al!" Rose protested, a look of sympathy etching her features. "We've done this before. It. Does. Not. Matter what James does! So you can't become and Auror. There are plenty of other important jobs out there I'm sure Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny would be proud of you for doing! You're chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, who knows, maybe you could go for professional quidditch too." But Albus simply shook his head and turned back to the window. Rose looked helplessly at Sven.

"Come on, mate, there was no hope for you in Potions anyway." Sven mused in an attempted to be helpful. He earned a kick from Albus, and Rose rolled her eyes.

"I think you'd make a really good teacher," came an airy voice from behind The Quibbler. The compartment was silent for a few seconds, which tended to happen often when Daisy would speak. Eventually Albus questioned,

"What makes you think that?" A pair of bright blue eyes appeared over the magazine.

"You taught me the Engorgement Charm. And helped me learn the Vanishing Spell." She answered.

"Yeah, she's right!" Sven declared. "She and I both were having trouble with the Disarming Charm back in our second year, and you were the one who taught us how to do it."

"Mhm, and you taught me how best to deal with a boggart." Rose chimed in. Albus's expression was blank as he starred at his friends, not knowing what to make of this.

"You and Rose have the highest markings of the year in Defense Against the Dark Arts. You'd be brilliant teaching that." Sven said earnestly.

"Really? Me? Teach?" Albus asked, as if there was nothing stranger in the world.

"My mum always talks about how your dad started Dumbledore's Army and how good he was with teaching everyone. It's in your blood." Daisy commented. The compartment was again silent for a minute, and Daisy went back to the magazine. Finally Albus shrugged and muttered,

"Well, I dunno." The conversation might have continued if not for the group of Slytherins presently trooping past their booth, who began making jeering remarks and rude hand gestures at the Gryffindors. Albus and Sven returned them, but Rose just watched silently, searching for one face in particular. . . Scorpius Malfoy caught her eye. He smirked at her as her strutted past, and Rose couldn't help smiling back. Sven did not miss this.

"Oi, what do you think you're playing at?" He rounded on her after the procession had left.

"I'm just being friendly, Sven, and what's it to you?" She replied somewhat defensively.

"What? What'd she do?" Albus asked, his eyes flitting back and forth between the two of them. Rose opened her mouth to stop Sven, but too late.

"She and Malfoy were _smiling_ at each other!" Her friend accused. Albus fired up instantly.

"What?! Rose, what the_ hell_! You trying to get friendly with him or something? Don't you remember what kind of scum that boy is? I wouldn't put it past him to---"

"Oh, will you give it a rest! You two are both being ridiculously absurd. Just because you two won't look past his name doesn't mean I'll follow your lead."

"Have you seen what his lot does?! What he does to anyone who's submissive enough to let themselves be pushed around---!"

"Alright, alright, I know Malfoy's a prat." Rose sighed heavily, shaking her head. Her cousin was much too overly-protective. . . Sven too, for that matter.

For a while the ride was silent, until finally Rose asked how Sven's summer had been, and they got into a conversation about his vacation to Florida, way across the ocean, in America. Albus joined in eventually, and in no time they were all laughing together as they usually did. The trolley came and went, leaving them with a healthy helping of pumpkin pasties, chocolate frogs, licorice wands, and Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans. Then Lily and Hugo stopped in, and Rose had to leave for Prefect rounds.

She met Keefe Penn, the other Gryffindor prefect, in the front of the train. She instantly felt awkward, for he wouldn't take his eyes off her. "Hey, Rose." He said, a little too enthusiastically. Rose suppressed a grimace. . . Why did guys have to do this to her?

"Hey, Keefe." She said in a monotone. He wasn't put off.

"Ready to do some rounds?"

"Sure thing." It was agonizingly painful. As they moved down the train, his hand continued to brush against hers, and when she stuck her hands in her pockets he made sure their arms brushed several times a minute. He tried to make small talk, which failed horribly, until finally Rose faked a migraine and made Keefe finish the patrol without her. When she got back to her compartment she was blushing furiously and sat down next to Sven without a word. Lily and Hugo hadn't left yet, and the sight of her younger brother's grin put her in slightly higher spirits.

"So Hugo, is Scabbers II still in your pocket?" She asked, smiling down at his light brown head. He nodded and patted the lump on his side. But Lily was interested in other matters.

"Soooooo, Rose." She said pointedly, raising an eyebrow. "How was Prefect patrol?" Rose groaned.

"Please, Lily, not now." She breathed through gritted teeth.

"You came back a little early, don't you think? Did Keefe Penn chase you away so soon?" Rose buried her head in embarrassment, her red curls hiding her blush from view. She heard Albus growl.

"Rose, if he tries anything just say the word and---"

"Al! Do you not think Rose is capable of handling him for herself? And did you ever consider the fact maybe Rose is into _him_?" Lily retorted instantly. The argument went on, but a voice in her ear whispered, "That true, Rosie?" and blocked out all other noise. Sven's breath made the back of her neck tingle.

"No, of course not." She whispered from between her fingers.

"Good, I don't like him much myself." Sven muttered, but sensing Rose's tension he soothingly smoothed her hair back from her face and gave her a one-armed hug. It helped.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

On the rush out of the train the group ran into James and his quidditch buddies, Zeke Thatcher (son of Katie Bell) and Slade Peakes. When Slade saw her he grinned and waved her over with a "Well, if it isn't Rosie Weasley!" and Rose laughed. She liked Slade a lot---he was one boy around whom she was totally comfortable, because she knew he was very fond of her, but nothing more. Zeke on the other hand, well he just scared her. His birthday was in September, and he was in his seventh year, making him nearly two years older than herself. Ever since the beginning of her fifth year he had been making advances when they were alone, sometimes so bad that she had to threaten to jinx him if he didn't back off. . . Rose determinedly ignored his greeting as she jogged over to give Slade a high-five.

"So Rose, you're going for quidditch again, right? I need you as Chaser this year more than ever---judging from tryouts last year all the wanna-be chasers are pretty damn lousy." He remarked, ruffling her loose, curly hair. Rose elbowed him in the ribs and snorted.

"Of course I am!! Congrats as captain, by the way. I'm hoping we'll have a good lot of the same people we did last year---our team could have given the Chudley Cannons a run for their money. Of course, that's not saying much. . ." Slade laughed and punched her shoulder good-naturedly before jumping on to his carriage. Zeke followed, and on his way past her he slapped her butt, winking as he did so. If it had been anyone else she would have aimed a good kick at their leg, but in this case she simple clenched her fists and walked over to Albus and Sven as fast as possible. They were mounting a carriage that was already occupied by Daisy, Hugo and Lilly. She sat beside Hugo and put an arm around her younger brother.

"Rose?" He whispered over to her (over because, even though only in his third year he was already taller than his tiny sister) as Albus, Sven, and Lily got into their annual argument about threstals. The older sister looked up and was appalled to find Hugo close to tears. She raised her eyebrows, silently imploring him what the matter was. "I. . . I can't find Scabbers II. He left my pocket."

"Oh, Hugo, it'll be alright! Here, I'll write to Mum, have her send up an owl for you. I'm sure. . ." But Rose trailed off, seeing it was no use. Hugo just bit his lip and shook his head. He had grown attached to the rat already, and a replacement just wouldn't do. "Ok. Hugo, do you know how to do the Summoning Charm?" She asked quietly.

"I've read about it, but I haven't learned it properly. . ." Hugo muttered, however he seemed a bit more hopeful than before.

"Right, well this might sound slightly ridiculous, but once we get into the castle grounds try summoning him. I'd do it, but I'm not sure my charm is powerful enough. But I think yours might be, if you can get it down right. Ok?" Hugo nodded solemnly, and Rose sat back, satisfied. She was looking forward to the banquet, and if Hugo was back to normal by then all would be well.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ok, so we took a look at Rose's past---swept through it, really. Now we took a look at Rose's first day. . . obviously I can't write about every few days in her life, otherwise this would be as long as a REAL harry potter book! No, I'm gonna skip a few months here and there, cause most of my story takes place after she turns 17. I would have had more in this chapter, but I got writers block at the end and was just like what the heck. Thanks to you who reviewed!! REALLY appreciate it :)

Oh yeah, and I own nothing except the story line here!


	3. Chapter 3

It was 9:30pm in the girl's dormitory, and Rose was flopped on her flat stomach, sprawled out across her bed in her pjs (in her pajamas so early because she wasn't planning on leaving the dorm until the next morning---she was more of an early bird than a night owl). Her red locks were pulled up in a high pony-tail, her wand set on her bed-side table. She was absent-mindedly kicking her perfect feet up in the air as she quietly scratched a quill across parchment. Behind her the giggles of her dormmates blurted distractingly, and Rose made a face at them irritably. She squeezed her hazel eyes shut, trying to drown out the background noises so she could concentrate. She ran a hand across the smooth skin of her cheek, brushing away a whisp of loose hair as she wrote.

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

She had finished her four hours of homework earlier that day, the time spent assisting Daisy included in that. Not wanting to tempt Al and Sven into asking her for answers while they did _their_ work, Rose had come up to her dorm and decided to use her time writing her parents a letter. Unfortunately she wasn't alone, as she'd hoped she'd be.

_Nothing too drastic has happened yet. Hugo's lost Scabbers II twice now, but he's always managed to find him again. Albus is just getting over his O.W.L.s, thank God. He and James have been going at it a lot more than usual---I hope things will settle down soon. Daisy is as nargel-loving as ever, but I was surprised to see how many classes she and I have together. And Sven, well, he's still the same Sven. The four of us are still as close as ever._

Just as Rose was about to dip her quill for more ink, a pink article of underclothing landed squarely on her back. The room erupted in giggles and "Oh, sorry Rose!"s. The redhead rolled her eyes, and then turned around to smile politely at Levina Brown, who had come over to retrieve the item from Rose. Her dimple did not appear, as this was not a genuine smile.

"Ooh, whatchya workin' on?" Levina asked with interest, leaning in over Rose's shoulder, who hastily pushed her letter out of sight, but too late. "Ah, I saw Sven's name!" She declared excitedly. From the bed across the room Corless Goldstien called out,

"Writing love letters to him? I knew it was only a matter of time! You two just wouldn't admit it to yourselves, now would you."

"Nooo, guys! Seriously, it was just a letter to my parents. Sven and I are just friends." Rose turned around just in time to see Levina and Corless exchanging knowing glances, and Solana Boot snickered. "Honestly. Don't go spreading rumors or anything." She threatened.

"But Rose! When are you going to get yourself a man?" Levina whined, plopping down over on her bed and grabbing a licorice wand from her bedside table. "Do you have _any_ idea how many guys in this school would be willing to make out with Joanna Terrill (Ew! Kristen Holt squeaked), or jinx their best mate just to get their hands on your arse?"

"I---" Rose began, blushing furiously, but Solana cut her off.

"Let's see, there's Keefe Penn---"

"---obviously---" Kristen exclaimed.

"---Roarke Macmillan," Solana continued, "Ivan Powell, Zeke Thatcher---"

"Total BABE!" Corless swooned. "Rose is_ so_ lucky to be on quidditch team with him! Do you get to see him shirtless when he's sweaty?"

"---my younger brother---" Solana shuddered.

"Oh, let's not even get _started_ on all the 5th, 4th, and 3rd year boys who check Rose out daily!" Levina burst. The conversation continued, but now that Rose was no longer part of it she tuned out the list of names and went back to writing.

___Earlier today we stopped by Hagrid's hut to say hello. He sat us down for tea and told us about how, when you were in your sixth year, neither you two nor Uncle Harry continued to take Care of Magical Creatures either. He laughed about it, but I reckon he was only in such an agreeable mood because Daisy continued his class. She's always been good with animals. . . Oh---give Quintin a bath please, since I forgot to give him one before I left. I miss him already so much already. _

___N.E.W.T. classes have been very intense, and I'm extremely worried about keeping my grades up. I've already started to slip behind in Potions, but I ____went to see Professor Melisenda about it, and, well. . . all things considered I know this is a very important year and will try my hardest to stay top of my classes. I'll make you proud Daddy! Quidditch tryouts are a few days away, and I'll write back as soon as I get the results. Hugo sends his love, as do I. _

___Your daughter,_

___Rose_

With a satisfied sigh, Rose lay the letter on her bedside to dry, and was relieved when she heard the girls discussing when the first annual sneak-out to Hogsmead (to get wasted, of course) was, and not her list of admirers. Deciding she was tired enough, and hoping to wake up early in order to send her letter, Rose snuck under the covers and twisted around into a comfortable position.

"Hey Rose, you interested in sneaking out to Hogsmead with us Friday night?" Corless suddenly questioned, her eyes glinting.

"No, Saturday morning's quidditch tryouts. Sorry." The redhead replied simply, and shut her eyes as a clear indication there would be no more discussing the topic.

"Oh, give it a rest, Cor. You know Rose is too much of a good-girl to get smashed." Solana's voice chided. From her tone Rose could not tell whether she meant this as an insult or not.

_"_Yeah, well, there's a first time for everything. . . Kristen, you've never drunk, have you?"

"Er, I went down to Hogsmead several times with you guys last year, remember?" Kristen said in a nervous, low voice.

"Yeah, but you never_ drank_." Corless clarified. Solana said something or another to this, but Rose was already drifting into the foggy shores of sleep.

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

Saturday morning. Rose was seated at the Gryffindor table, helping herself to bacon, eggs, and toast. On her left Sven was downing a glass of pumpkin juice, and on her right Albus was shoveling hash browns. Daisy sat across from them, absent-mindedly nibbling on her own toast while once again buried in the Quibbler. Further down the table Rose surveyed Hugo and Lilly chatting to each other happily, and then James, Slade, Fred, and Zeke talking of nothing but the quidditch tryouts. Solana, Corless, and Levina were slouched in a corner together, with obvious symptoms of an overhang. They weren't the only ones in the hall looking like this, either, and Rose shook her head somberly. Over at the Hufflepuff table she saw her Cousin Lucy sitting with her boyfriend. Their eyes met, and Lucy smiled at her timidly. Rose grinned encouragingly back. They were in the same year, but for some reason Lucy had always seemed a bit intimidated by Rose. . . Her eyes wandered over to the Slytherin table, and she saw Malfoy and his group sitting together, heads together in conversation. Rose wondered what they could be talking about so urgently. . . Over the years Malfoy had become quite the ladies' man, extremly attactive and not bad grades either. Of course, it didn't hurt that he was captain of the Slytherin quidditch team. Al loathed him even more for this. Suddenly her gaze fell to rest upon a dark-haired seventh year, sitting directly next to Malfoy. She was looking straight back at her, scowling. Rose quickly turned away, unnerved. That girl looked strikingly like someone she knew, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"So Sven, are you coming to watch the quidditch tryouts?" Rose asked hopefully, giving him a playful nudge.

"What? Oh, yeah, of course."He answered, smiling at her. Then he added, rather awkwardly, "You look good today." Rose felt a small blush bubble up on her face, and she tugged one of her French braids nervously.

"Thanks. . . Glad you're coming; I always do better when you're around. Finish your essays yet?" She asked brightly, glancing over towards her two older cousins as they erupted into boisterous laughter at something Slade had said.

"Ugh, I haven't even_ started_ my Charms essay!" Albus groaned from beside her, picking at his eggs. Sven shook his head sadly, indicating he hadn't either.

"Oh, you two!" Rose scolded, rolling her eyes. She sighed heavily. "I suppose, after I've cleaned up from quidditch, I can help you two with a start."

"You're the best, Rosie." Sven grinned, giving her a one-armed squeeze.

"Yeah Rose, don't know what we'd do without you." Her cousin agreed. Daisy turned a page in her magazine, and then looked up, surprised.

"Oh, mail's here. Mummy's necklace is supposed to come today." She breathed excitedly. And sure enough, dozens of owls came pouring into the Great Hall, dropping packages and parcels onto the tables. A small brown box landed on Luna's plate, and a letter on Rose's. The read head tore it open quickly, wondering if it was the sloppy handwriting of her dad, or the neat, curved handwriting of her mum. Albus swore loudly as a brown owl dropped a pair of gloves into his juice.

___My Dear Rose,_

The letter began. It was Mum.

___I'm glad to hear all is well so far, and equally glad you and your friends are still so close. Friendship is an amazing thing, and I am so happy you have found it in such good people. Yes, James and Albus are sure to be getting into rows, but that's only to be expected. Ah, Daisy is so like her mother. . . I do hope that her ideas about some things don't bother you too much____---she's a good girl, and her heart is in the right place. _

___Oh, Rose, don't let your father pressure you into worrying so about your grades. We are both very proud of you, no matter how high your scores are. Hagrid __was____ awfully upset ____when none of us continued his class, but I'm sure he understands why you, Sven and Albus just can't fit it into your schedules. Quintin has been very lonely without you, but I gave him a bath and brushed him, and he seems a little happier now. _

___Work has been very trying on your father recently---the case he is on now is an extremely difficult one, so please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Things are always so much quieter here at home when you and Hugo are gone, and I miss you two so much! Your father and I have been debating on when to tell you this, but we agreed we can't keep it from you two any longer. My darling Rose, you have another brother or sister on the way! He/she is due in late May. I'm extremely excited---tell Hugo and your cousins the good news! Your father sends his love, and luck for tryouts._

___All my love,_

___Mum_

"Oh, my. . ." Rose breathed, reading the last paragraph one more time. The she let out a yelp and shoved the letter in Albus's face, who had been forlornly trying to dry out his quidditch gloves with his wand. "AL! Al, look at this, _look at this!!_" Rose cried, and then jumped from her seat and raced down to where Hugo was just getting up. She bumped into him full speed and nearly fell backwards.

"Hu, you won't believe what mom just told me!" She gasped, her hazel-brown eyes wide and full of excitement. Her borther searched her, his eyes questioning. Lily was behind him, just as curious and slightly startled. "Mum's pregnant."

"_She is?!_" Lily was the first to speak, and it came out as a squeak. "I'm going to have a baby cousin?"

"Oh, blimey, really?" Hugo said blankly, not yet absorbing it. Rose nodded violently, her grin spreading from ear to ear. From behind her she felt a nudge, and Slade, walking past, reminded her,

"Tryouts start in half an hour Rose, better hurry!" But Rose only blinked, tryouts seeming tiny compared to this news.

"Yes, really! You're not going to be the baby anymore, Hugo, you'll be a big brother!" She beamed, and twirled around happily, practically falling into Sven's arms, who, along with Daisy and Albus, had come up behind her.

"It's true then? Aunt Hermione's have a baby?" Albus demanded, handing her back the letter. The group simultaneously began to move towards the doors, aware of the stares they were attracting. Rose nodded, beaming. "I thought I heard Mum talking to someone on floo about her friend having a baby. Couldn't be sure. Congrats Hugo, you're an older brother now!" Albus remarked, and Hugo looked dazed.

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" Daisy said dreamily, a new cork-necklace draped around her neck. "I wonder what names your mum and dad are considering."

"Can I be Uncle Sven?" Sven asked excitedly, peering over at his friend and shaking her shoulder. "Can I be at least partially related? I'm the youngest in my family. . ."

"I hope it's a girl!" Lily was saying cheerfully. "We could take her our shopping, dress her with cute clothes and bring her with us on girls night outs!"

"Maybe he'll have quidditch genes, ya know? Fly around with us every now and then." Albus suggested.

"I hope he or she likes horses! Hugo never did care much for Quin, but maybe this next one will!" Rose mused, twirling her braids with enthusiasm. The group continued to chat all the way out to the quidditch field, where finally Hugo and Daisy parted, and Albus, Rose, and Lily went to go get ready. In the dressing rooms Fred and James also learned of the good news, which somehow or another started Albus and James bickering once again. By the time tryouts began Albus was thoroughly annoyed, and nearly dropped the quaffle twice when doing passes. Slade was bellowing out orders left and right, flying here and there to observe the hopefuls. Rose grimaced as Clay Cowan, a boy in her year, stopped four out of five passes. Lily had thrown the one he missed, and turned to wink at Rose as the quaffle slipped through his fingers.

Rose mounted her broom. Slade called her up, and added as she flew past him "Make me proud!" She hovered infront of the goal posts, her eyes darting back and forth between the chasers who would be throwing for a goal, sizing them up. There was Lily---she was brilliant, and Rose would be lucky if she stopped her attempt at a goal. Then there was Chris Boot, a fourth year who was quite good and powerfully built. Will Thomas, a fifth year, was tossing the quaffle into the air and catching it, taking experimental throws and racing to retrieve it. Then there was Albus, whom Rose had practiced with enough to know his strategy. . . and finally there was Zeke Thatcher. The red head gulped. As soon as he advanced towards her she'd shrink back, falter, her hands trembling under his piercing gaze. The way he looked at her made her feel so exposed, vulnerable, and there was nothing she could do about it. It had happened last year as well. The one shot she had missed had been his, and she very nearly hadn't made it onto the team that year.

From the sidelines, she could hear Clay chuckle. "Ha, Rose. She'd be better off as seeker---you need big, broad people as keeper so they can better block the hoop. Look at how small she is!"

"If that's what you think, you obviously haven't seen her at it last year." Slade said wisely, and Clay fell silent. "Just watch." Rose squeezed the wood of her worn broom till her knuckles turned white as Will Thomas flew towards her, she bit her full lower lip just thinking focus. . . focus. . . She caught the quaffle with her left hand as it flew towards the center hoop. She had to throw her whole body over to catch it, and had to twirl upside-down in order not to fall off the broom. Rose could hear Lily's hearty whoop as she sat up straight again, quaffle safely tucked under her arm. On to the next one.

She stopped the three other attempts, even Lily's, though Rose had the feeling Lily hadn't put as much oomph into her throw as she normally would have. It was right after she had miraculously stopped Will's 40mph throw at the right hoop that the queasiness started. Zeke was up next. Her eyes searched the small crowd in the stand, desperately caving his dark blue's. . . Sven met her gaze encouragingly, and he smiled. It wasn't his normal, cheeky grin, it was a genuine smile, honest and sincere. Rose returned it, comforted. Zeke was flying at her fast.


End file.
